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09 Jun 2010

Mixed Reaction To Political Party Best Suited To Deal With Issues In New Brunswick

SAINT JOHN: New Brunswickers are mixed when identifying which political party is best able to deal with a variety of issues, according to the most recent survey conducted by Corporate Research Associates Inc. A plurality of New Brunswickers were unable to identify which political party has the best vision for the future of the province or is best able to deal with major issues facing the province such as the health care system, balancing the budget, dealing with social problems or current economic problems. There is relatively little difference in the perception of the two main parties in New Brunswick in their ability to deal with any of the issues evaluated. The only exception is the party perceived to be best able to maintain a balanced budget. In this regard, the PC Party (26%) has a clear edge over the Liberal Party (15%).

In terms of the best vision for the future of the province, over four in ten New Brunswickers were unable to identify any party (39%) or felt that none of the parties (6%) offered the best vision for the province. An equal number chose the PC Party (22%) and the Liberal Party (22%), as having the best vision of the future. This compares to 8% for the New Democratic Party and 3% for the Green Party.

The top three most important issues in the upcoming provincial election in September were dealing with current economic concerns (22%), heath care funding (22%) and the handling of the NB Power deal (17%).

“The results suggest that none of the parties is particularly well positioned in terms of having any advantage over the others as the provincial election approaches”, states Don Mills, President and CEO of Corporate Research Associates. “A significant number of New Brunswickers, not surprisingly perhaps, have therefore not yet made a decision on which party to support in the upcoming election.”

These results are part of the CRA Atlantic Quarterly®, an independent, quarterly survey of Atlantic Canadians, and are based on a sample of 403 adult New Brunswickers, conducted from May 17 to May 31, 2010, with results accurate to within +4.9 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times.

For more information, please contact: Don Mills, President and CEO at (902) 493-3820.